Aviator Charles Lindbergh took his beloved cat, Patsy, along for company on some of his flights. Albert Einstein, Albert Schweitzer and Isaac Newton (inventor of the cat door) enjoyed the company of cats. Schweitzer wrote: "There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."

Popes Leo XII, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI all shared their lives with felines. Cardinal Mahony said of Pope Benedict; "Street talk that the pope loves cats is incorrect. The pope adores cats." Cardinal Richelieu kept dozens of cats and left money to care for them after his death.

Authors Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo and tough guy Ernest Hemingway adored cats. Descendants of Hemingway's 30 felines still reside at his Key West, Fla., home, now a museum. Hemingway wrote: "A cat has absolute emotional honesty, human beings may hide their feelings, but a cat does not." Mark Twain, who shared his home with 11 cats, wrote: "When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade without further introduction."

Then there are musicians - Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, John Lennon, David Bowie and Frank Zappa - all cat guys. Freddie Mercury of Queen dedicated his first album to his beloved cats and wrote a song for one of his favorites, Delilah.